


Before I knew You

by Lubamoon



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M, Force Dyad (Star Wars), Friendship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jedi Ben Solo, Sad, Scavenger Rey (Star Wars), Short & Sweet, Young Ben Solo, little Rey, years before TFA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24005068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lubamoon/pseuds/Lubamoon
Summary: Young Padawan Ben Solo travels with his Uncle Luke to Jakku and there he meets little Rey and they share a small but significant moment together. Something I came up with that might be cute.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Before I knew You

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Antes de conocerte](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24005218) by [Lubamoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lubamoon/pseuds/Lubamoon)



Travelling with Luke around the galaxy was a little tiring at times. Ben didn't mind seeing new places, but his uncle was always sullen and didn't seem to give in to the fun easily. Of course, his role as a Jedi Master didn't leave him much room for that. But Ben was barely sixteen years old, and no one could blame him for wanting to get a little distracted, at least once.

His uncle's vigilance did not stop him from thinking about doing some mischief, but the fear of being discovered and the sermon that followed were two things to consider before thinking about committing any misdeeds.

You couldn't say that Ben was a bad-tempered boy, on the contrary. But sometimes he felt a kind of rebelliousness that he could not explain, something that prompted him to act spontaneously but repressed quickly. The path of the Jedi advised the young Padawans to keep their cool first and foremost and to think coldly.

_There is no emotion, there is peace._

_There is no passion, there is serenity._

There were times to relax too, not all the training consisted of meditating and making the rocks levitate. But Ben found it hard to relate to his fellow order members and was not a particularly social guy. So he just watched what others were doing in silence, analyzing their actions, wishing deep down that he could be a little freer but with a constant fear of being made a fool of.

He sometimes thought that the other children envied the ease and speed with which he solved the exercises, the power that lay in his blood and his legacy. Ben was insecure but everyone mistook him for extreme arrogance and so they turned away from him.

He could count on the fingers of one hand the people who really cared about his well-being, like his friend Tai and his uncle Chewie. He could not expect much from his parents because they hardly ever came to visit him and his Uncle Luke took his education too seriously.

Over time Ben became more and more introspective and carefully hid his greatest fears from the face of the world, burying some of his youth and freshness as well. Everything was for the greater good, great things were expected of him, and he could not fail.

But his mother's daring spirit and his father's insolence were two features of his personality that he could never fully leave behind. And used to do good, they were not inconsiderable talents.

In the end, traveling with the Master was something different in his routine, a part of his training, but he was not particularly enthusiastic about it.

When Luke told him that they had to stop in Jakku for a moment, Ben could not pretend to be happy. The Western Regions rarely had good things to offer besides dangers of all kinds and deadly creatures that one wished to forget as soon as one met them.

Ben wondered what interest Luke might have in that planet that was nothing more than a historical space junkyard.

"It'll only be a couple of hours, Ben. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Can I come with you?" The prospect of being left alone in a place like Niima Outpost gave him an instant panic that he managed to control. An ancient rejection of dry weather and sand took hold of him.

_He definitely hated the sand._

"No, you must stay here. Where I'm going is not safe for you." Luke was firm in his resolve. "Take care of the ship and don't do anything strange."

And he left, leaving Ben with a half-hearted protest and a growing disgust inside.

_Fine._

At least the place wasn't as terrible as others he had known.

The creatures were focused on their tasks and hardly noticed the tall, black-haired, elongated boy walking beside them looking bored.

The place had a small market and a concession stand where an unpleasant looking creature traded food for scrap metal and all manner of ship parts. Ben watched the scavengers carefully as they scrubbed away the waste they found so that they could get a better price on the transaction. A better price meant more portions, more food.

It was something very difficult for him to imagine. Perhaps he had missed some of his parents' attention, but he always had food within reach. He made an effort to put himself in the shoes of the rustic characters, hardened by life in the desert, with wrinkles of bitterness on their faces and hands ruined by repetitive forced labor.

But the Jedi path forced him not to intervene, even if he had the possibility to do so, because it was not in his hands to alter the course and will of the lives of others if the motivation was his own selfish sense of justice. Certain actions could trigger unwanted consequences.

And that neutrality was what Ben so hated about the Force and the Jedi.

But he tried to silence his thoughts, it was neither the time nor the place. Those people would continue their existence in that way until they died and then others would come and so on until something happened. Such was the constant, eternal rhythm that seemed to reign in that wild place.

It was relatively easy to maintain that position, and Ben was almost proud and happy with himself.

Until he saw the girl trying to steal some _Tuanulberries_ from one of the market stalls without success.

His first instinct was to judge her and he puckered his mouth with a sneer. But something told him that's not all he had to see there. He had to get close to her, something was bothering him, as if he could not help wanting to know more about the little thief.

He followed her with his eyes for a few seconds and when she was out of his reach, he began to trail her from a reasonable distance so as not to frighten her.

But the creature was faster, too fast, and Ben could only make out that she tied her hair in three bows and seemed not to have eaten for days. He couldn't see her face, but from her complexion she would have been no more than five or six years old.

However, he would not give up. Since he was quite tall for his age, he managed to see that the girl had hidden behind some drawers in another of the stalls, perhaps waiting for her chance to strike again.

_Who would leave such a little girl alone in a place like this?_ Ben saw no adult nearby and drew his own conclusions as he was filled with indignation.

She seemed to notice his insistent gaze and turned her head in Ben's direction. A slight chill ran down his back as he felt exposed and immediately regretted his boldness.

_Who sent him into other people's business?_ He had to let the girl manage on her own. Luke would soon return and forget about it forever.

_And maybe that's what he should have done._

But the brief moment when their eyes met, Ben sensed no fear but resolution in hers, courage instead of shame. The girl had an intelligent look and there was a spark in her that Ben couldn't help but admire. He could not imagine himself living in such conditions.

And his immediate instinct was to try to help her. After all, compassion was a feeling encouraged by the Order. Right?

But Ben knew he was driven by more than just pity. The Force was dragging him towards her, indicating that she had something special, but he couldn't understand what it was.

The girl took advantage of an oversight on the part of the salesman and approached the stall again to pick the berries. The first time she succeeded in not being caught but she didn't want to suffer a different fate this time, although she didn't doubt her exceptional skills at stealing.

The tall, pale boy stepped forward, gesturing for her to stop. She was a bit disconcerted, but she obeyed.

Ben chose and bought a generous amount of fruit. At least being a descendant of the Organa house had some benefits at times. Then he began to walk in the opposite direction, sure that the girl would follow him but sensing that she was too proud to accept that he gave her his food openly.

He stopped in a less crowded area and left the bag with the precious cargo as if carelessly, on top of a bench and sat down to eat carefree, aware that she was nearby. Then he took a handful of berries and extended his hand, offering them to her.

The girl seemed to be struggling with herself, she wanted to accept the gift but did not trust the stranger. Until finally the hunger subsided and she took the berries roughly, sitting close to him to eat with delight.

For long minutes they did not speak, they shared the food until the bag was empty. Ben worried about eating slowly, so that she could eat more fruit but not notice that he was doing it on purpose.

They felt at ease, like old friends. No one said a word, there was no need to introduce themselves. They stayed like that, looking at the sky and protected from the heat, which was at its peak at that time.

The girl looked at him sideways from time to time but did not try to pressure him. She already knew that in Jakku it was best not to ask questions.

Before she left, she approached the young man with a smile of genuine happiness and gratitude and ran off the way she had come.

Ben watched her leave with a slightly heavy heart but happy to have met her. Her silent company and acceptance did for him in a quarter of an hour more than his parents had accomplished in years.

His uncle's voice tore him from his thoughts.

It was time to return.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Meet me [on twitter](https://twitter.com/luubamoon)


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